The world has changed drastically and quickly since the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020. The way in which we work and learn has certainly been a victim of this, with many companies and schools going virtual.
With this came a new set of challenges: keeping kids’ attention as they learn from a place outside the classroom, teaching employees how to use certain technologies from the comfort of their home, figuring out how to go through a recruiting process without the typical office meet-and-greet to vet candidates, and retaining the same productivity in schools and workplaces that was there pre-pandemic.
There are many things we can take away from this remote experience and apply towards the future to ensure continued success.
It’s helped prioritize mental health.
We have collectively been through the ringer in terms of mental health with the upheaval of the world. We need more time to process the big events going on and focus on self care.
Remote learning and working has helped people open up more about the need to put mental health first, and has allowed that to happen.
Work becomes more flexible when you can do it from anywhere, and that simple change of scenery has helped some employees and students become more productive.
Autonomy helps motivation.
Learning remotely gives students the opportunity to choose their materials and activities, things that are of more interest to them.
Students who learned at a pace they set proved to be more successful in retaining information. They don’t feel the pressure to keep up with others and can take their time to soak in what they are learning.
Learning on a schedule that’s their own also allows for free time to indulge in things of interest and keep a good balance with that and the school work they are required to do.
A child who has time to read a book that they actually want to read are more likely to dive back into required work when the need arises, as they have already satiated the need to do what they want.
We have a better understanding of each other.
When working and learning remotely, we had to truly get to know how others operate when in their own environment and left to their own devices.
Learning and working styles tend to meld into a specific way of doing things when on site in an office or classroom. Once people were relegated to doing things on their own, we learned to adjust to others’ way of performing tasks and became more open to asking what they needed to get the job done.
The need for compassion has grown, and we have sought compassion for ourselves through our own remote learning and working challenges.
There are no boundaries to hold us.
Remote learning and working has broadened our horizons.
Employees that are a good fit but live on the other side of the country may now be able to work for a team and greatly benefit them.
Kids who want to learn about particular subjects may not have had the chance in a classroom before, but find they can do that through networking with other virtual learning organizations.
